An Olathe teen will more than 20 years in prison for his role in a fatal shooting at Black Bob Park in 2022.
On Thursday, a judge in Johnson County District Court gave Jacobi Epting, 16, a 241-month sentence for a series of felony charges related to the shooting in which prosecutors say Epting played a prominent part.
The shooting left Marco Cardino, 19, of Smithville, Missouri, and a Shawnee Mission West graduate, dead.
Epting’s sentence includes:
- 155 months for intentional second-degree murder,
- 31 months for conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery
- and 55 months for attempted second-degree murder.
Those sentences will run consecutively. In addition, a 31-month sentence for attempted aggravated robbery will run concurrently with the other punishments.
Epting pleaded guilty to the charges in October 2024. The sentences last week were handed down by Judge Michael P. Joyce.
Epting was 14 years old at the time of the murder and was one of six teens, all aged 13 or 14 at the time, charged in connection to Cardino’s killing.
According to prosecutors, they had arranged a marijuana deal with Cardino, planning to take his money, but ended up fatally shooting him.
A request from the Johnson County Post for comment from Epting’s attorney was not immediately returned.
One of the suspects knew Cardino
According to court records, the teenage suspects were at a house on May 14, 2022, where “there was marijuana and alcohol.”
Wanting to purchase more marijuana, one of the girls in the group said they knew Cardino and had purchased vapes and alcohol from him before.
A 13-year-old girl in the group messaged Cardino via Snapchat, and Black Bob Park was chosen as a location to do a deal, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors: Epting instructed other teens in the shooting
In the early morning hours of Saturday, May 14, 2022, the six teens, all from Olathe, and Cardino drove in two separate vehicles to meet at the park for the deal, according to court records.
Prosecutors say Epting instructed the other teens on their roles in the plan to rob Cardino. They also said he brought a gun to the park and wore a mask to disguise himself.
When the teens got to the park, one of them told police investigators that they all put on masks. When Cardino arrived, the four males in the group got out to do the deal.
During the transaction, Epting showed the gun to Cardino, killed him and fired a gun at another person, according to court documents.
Cardino was a Shawnee Mission West grad
Cardino attended schools in the Shawnee Mission School District and graduated high school in 2021.
After his killing, district officials confirmed that Cardino attended Shawnee Mission West from March 2018 to the time he graduated in May 2021. Before that, he attended Shawnee Mission South from August 2017 to March 2018.
He also attended Indian Woods Middle, Rosehill Elementary and Shawanoe Elementary during his time in the district.
Following his death, a friend launched a GoFundMe campaign that raised more than $2,000 to pay for Cardino’s funeral.
What’s the status of the other teens’ cases?
Epting was the last of the six teens to be charged for their involvement with Cardino’s murder.
Three other teens involved in the case were tried as adults and have reached resolutions in their cases.
In March 2023, Kristofor Washington and Brandon Banks, who are both now 16, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and were sentenced to serve time at a juvenile correctional facility until they reached the age of 22-1/2 years.
In July 2023, Ella Radosevich, who is now 17, pleaded no contest to an amended charge of aggravated battery and received 15 months of probation, which she completed, according to KCTV5.
Two other teens, both 13 years old at the time of the shooting, were prosecuted as juveniles. Their case records are not open to the public.
Other Johnson County court news: Man sentenced to more than 11 years in prison for DUI crash that killed Lenexa boy
